Published May 10, 2010
Most people think of nature as cute animals in meadows, set to a Sigur rós song. These people are idiots. Nature is primeval, harsh, and will tear your throat out, while the animals will feast on your corpse… after having sex with it. It’s against this backdrop that Gjöll attempt to work their chaos.
The brainchild of Jóhann Eiríksson (Reptilicus) and Sigurður “Siggi Pönk” Harðarson (Forgarður helvítis, DYS), Sum of Transformations is a wallowing chasm of dark ambient sounds that leave you in no doubt of the anarchy of nature (that and political song titles such as At The Hanging Of The Last Of The Career Politicians).
It’s not all gloom as Natural Anarchy and The only True Philosophical Problem show a brightness reminiscent of Cocteau Twins & Oren Ambarchi. Contrast that with Unity With the Earthworms which feels more a like a call to arms from a neo-pagan death cult hidden up on Snæfellsjökull. While it may not quite reach the blood tinged visceral-ness of Ben Frost’s latest album, this is a fine companion piece in portraying the soundscapes of a feral society.
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